Mission Accomplished

If you have spent any time with Finn in the past year or so, you know that he is in the midst of a major Lego phase. Obsessed is probably a better description. He can sit for hours and work on his sets with such concentration that amazes me. He gets the Lego catalogue a couple of times a year and will flip through it for days upon days. Kind of remind me of what I used to do the the Sears Wish Book would come out around Christmas . . . remember that? Anyway, last year he had set his eyes on the Lego Star Wars Death Star. This is a major set . . . we are talking pricey and complicated, at more than 3,000 pieces. We told him that he would have to save his money and buy it himself if he wanted it. Truth be told, I didn't think he would be able to save that much for that long. But he surprised me for sure. He has saved all of his money from 2 birthdays, Christmas and every holiday along the way. He did chores for me and worked out in the yard with Mark. I'm not saying he did it all happily, but he did it nonetheless. I think every one we know has contributed to his "death star Lego pot" Mimi, Bop, Big, Baa, Gigi and Papa and countless others . . . so thank you to everyone who has been so generous to him. 

By the end of the school year, he was within $10 of his goal. We decided to have a lemonade stand to get him across the finish line. It was such a huge success, he made his goal and then some. In fact, I'm thinking of setting up a lemonade stand to get this pair of boots I've had my eye on for some time. Wink wink. He was so cute sitting up there and our friends and neighbors were so sweet and generous to stop by and buy his lemonade. I doubt I could make as much money as he did. 

He gathered and counted his money and turned it over to his dad so he could buy it online. That's how special this set is . . . not even sold in stores, at least not any around us. It was a fantastic day when that Lego box arrived in the mail. I was so proud of Finn for setting a goal and working hard and saving for more than a year to reach his goal. Way to go! 

Now the fun part begins . . . actually putting it together. Yay summer. 

Lemonade stand: working hard for the money

Counting his dough . . . yet again

Success! Here it is

One month later . . .
This proved to be a family affair, and then some. It took us more than a month but we finally finished it. The instruction book had over 260 pages, if this gives you an idea. Everyone pitched in, even Justin, Lindsey's boyfriend who got suckered into it over their 4th of July visit and got the rest of us off the hook (for a brief time, anyway). Finn was so proud of himself. Now, if we could just keep it intact for the rest of the summer, we'll be doing good. Super glue anyone?

Preschool Graduation

Well, it's the end of an era . . . the preschool era. Everyone says it, but it happened so fast. I had mixed emotions about this day, as most moms do. On one hand, I was terribly proud of Finn and excited for him to take the next big step into Kindergarten. But on the other hand, I was officially losing my "baby." Because he is certainly not a baby anymore. Watching him march proudly across the stage made me smile and also remember his very first day of preschool, three years ago, which started with tears, cries and a death grip on my knee. He has grown up so much in the past three years. He had a great preschool experience and we were lucky to have had such great teachers all along the way.

The kids worked so hard and prepared a wonderful graduation program. They sang songs, in both English and Spanish, but the best part was watching them walk across the stage and accept their "diploma." Such proud and independent little boys and girls. The teachers put together a slide show with pictures from all that they did throughout the year. It was so fun to see how much the kids have grown and changed just in the year. Of course, the music they chose, "What a Wonderful World" ensured that there wasn't a dry eye in the place. 

And so preschool is done. I still can't believe it. I'm so thankful that I have this summer to spend with Finn before he starts Kindergarten. Everyone tells me that the first day of Kindergarten is way harder on mom than the kids. Thank goodness we still have a few months before we have to cross that bridge.

Congratulations Finn on finishing preschool. We are so proud of you and all that you have learned and what you have accomplished. Now, bring on summer!!

Very first day of preschool

September 2010

Washington, DC

Very last day of preschool

May 2013

Sullivans Island, SC

Finn's class (8 rowdy boys and 1 sweet Noel)

So proud of my boy!

Singing This Little Light of Mine

Finn with the 4's teachers, Mrs. Barbara and Mrs. Sandra

One proud mama and her big boy

Bon Voyage Preschool!

Preschool graduation is just around the corner and these kiddos are going out in style! We took a water taxi ride to the aquarium, where we spent the morning exploring the aquarium and learning about all of the cool fish and animals who live there. We capped off the day with a picnic overlooking the Charleston Harbor (where we spied some dolphins!) and a water taxi ride back to Mt. Pleasant. It was a great day and the kids had a blast--such a fun way to end a really great year. 

Saying Goodbye

Some of you may remember that I blogged earlier about my grandmother, Geraldine (or Geri as she preferred), taking a health turn for the worse in the beginning of the year. I was fortunate enough to be able to fly down to Miami and spend a weekend with her. It was a special time, made all the more special because it happened to be my last time with her. She passed away on May 6 at 93 years old.  She was one-of-a-kind. She had an amazing story and one day I hope to write it. It is hard to lose someone you love, but in a way a relief. She was in a lot of pain and wasn't able to be her true self. I have no doubt she is in a much better place . . . most likely wearing her tennis whites, watching her favorite game shows and enjoying a box of weight watcher ice cream bars (eating the entire box is ok by her standards because it's weight watchers!) all from a comfy perch in Heaven.

We celebrated her life with a small, immediate family only service in her birthplace of Lakeland, GA. Her childhood home there has been purchased by the Historical Preservation Society and will be turned into a museum. Geri's father was governor of Georgia and she lived in the govenor's mansion for a while. Like I said, a pretty amazing story. 

Posing with one of her six great grandsons

90 years young

Her father, Gov. Rivers, in the car with for the parade for the Gone with the Wind premiere at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta

She hosted the cast of Gone with the Wind at the Governor's mansion

Geri's father and her fiance's father ran against each other for the democratic nomination

There were literally hundreds of newspaper articles, clippings, photographs and artifacts--these were just a few. It was pretty cool to walk through her home and see pieces of history (mine included) wallpapering the walls of a home she treasured.

Saying goodbye 

Teeball: The Cheetahs

This spring marked our first foray into organized team sports. Up until now, Finn had shown zero interest in playing anything or being on any kind team. So, we just let it go . . . forcing a determined 5 year old to do anything he doesn't want to do does not rank high on my "to do list." But, this spring, Finn had a change of heart--he decided he would give t-ball a try because his cousins Luke and Mary Daniel play. We signed him up for the Isle of Palms rec league and got the good fortune of getting a great coach and fun team. Finn's only problem was that he didn't like wearing a purple jersey. Because technically purple is a "girl" color. I swear, he comes up with this on his own.

I wasn't sure how it would go, but Finn really surprised me. He tried really hard and improved so much over the course of the season. He loved batting and running the bases, especially sliding whether it was necessary or not (mostly not) . . . playing outfield, eh, not so much. It helped that he had some great coaches who were really patient and made practice fun. His favorite part was sliding and getting red dirt all over his uniform and getting snacks after the games. Some things never change . . . I remember the snacks being a major motivator in getting me to play sports. 

Anyway, a great first t-ball season and Finn says he is ready to play again. Stay tuned! 

Super star

A few of our players and our great coaches

Playing outfield (aka kicking dirt around and staring into space)

Batter Up

Practicing good sportsmanship

Celebrating the end of a great season with a trophy . . . and a snack!

So proud of our little leaguer

A special treat: Bah was in town to catch the final game